


Like Waking Up Again

by colormyheartred



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-26
Updated: 2016-08-26
Packaged: 2018-08-10 12:46:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7845556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/colormyheartred/pseuds/colormyheartred
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on this prompt: “Last night when I took the subway home I saw a girl crying and a random guy stopped in front of her and started talking to her. And before I left, I noticed the girl was no longer crying and instead she was smiling.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

She has had the day from hell.

Her heels are aching and her already swollen toes have been scrunched because of her ridiculous heels. Interviewing wasn’t ever supposed to be _this_ difficult and it _isn’t_ fair that after four weeks in this stupid city, she has gotten absolutely no response to any of her applications and interviews.

She’s been working close to her apartment, in a little diner called Granny’s as a waitress. Granny is nice and she’s made friends with Ruby, a fellow waitress, but other than that, her job sucks. Its long hours and people in this city aren’t exactly the nicest.

She works the night shifts lately because of having interviews during the day and she knows Granny isn’t happy with her. She’s always giving her _looks_ and folding her arms to her chest as if she’s judging her and her lifestyle.

She’s a pregnant, single woman, working hard so she can find a better paying job in order to support her mistakes she made with the idiot who has made part of her day even worse.

His words are still ringing in her ears as she slinks down into a seat in an only slightly crowded seat of the subway.

She tries to hide her face as she begins to break down; using her purse as a wall, because the last thing she wants is the entire car of passengers knowing she’s not strong enough to wait it out.

Her throat is raw and her ears ache, her gut clenching with every passing second. Her tears come in the grossest way, her body wracking and noises she tries to suppress still managing to slip out of her mouth.

Emma bites at her lip and squeezes her eyes shut.

Neal freaking Cassidy and his stupid mouth. Shaming her for wanting to be someone in this city.

“Would you care for a Kleenex, love?”

Emma looks up through tear-glazed eyes and finds herself in the presence of a man in a suit, worry in his brow, and a small, hesitant smile on his lips.

“If you have one,” she manages to get out on a shrug. He reaches into his pocket, removing a tissue and holding it out for her.  

She uses it to wipe at her eyes and bites at her upper lip, still aching and a little embarrassed that  _he_ , of all of the people in the subway car, would be the one to notice and attend to her weeping, sobbing mess.

He’s handsome, she notices after her vision clears. He has dark hair, mussed as if he’s run his hands through it a few times, and his beard is scruffy. And his _eyes_ , they’re so blue she could probably drown in them if they were an ocean.

There’s something about him that is safe and she finds that she trusts him, even if she has a hard time trusting anyone as of late.

“Hard day?” he asks, his accent rolling off of his tongue.

Emma shrugs, snorting a little. “You could say that.”

His tongue darts out of his mouth and he licks his lips, leaning a bit on the pole in front of her. “Care to unload it on a stranger? I’ve been told I have a good listening ear.”

Her heart feels lighter when he smiles at her and she shifts in her chair.

“Well, I’m looking for a job,” she tells him on a heavy sigh. “I’m pregnant and my ex boyfriend was a piece of shit, so the apartment I’m living in right now is technically not legally mine right now. I’m working late shifts at a diner, but tips aren’t great and I need the money for medical stuff, you know?”

She sniffles and pauses to blow her nose into the tissue. Emma shakes her head. “And my ex called me today from wherever he is now to tell me that I’m not going to get anywhere, and none of these interviews are going anywhere, so-“

Emma can’t help more fat, hot tears from rolling down her cheeks. She pulls her lips into her mouth and clamps her eyes shut. She wishes she could disappear. It would be easier than living right now.

“Hey,” the man’s voice is low and she opens her eyes to find that he’s kneeling in front of her. He reaches in and takes one of her hands, giving it a tight squeeze. He searches her eyes for a moment.

He looks angry, even angrier than she feels, and she can’t help but feel a bit of the weight on her shoulders lift. If a stranger thinks Neal is a jerk, she’s probably justified. Not that she wasn’t already justified, but it’s always nice to hear she’s not just bitter.

“Don’t listen to him. He sounds like a complete idiot and I would like to kick his arse halfway across the world for talking to you like he has.”

She laughs weakly. “He’s always been like this. I don’t even know what I thought I was doing when I started going out with him.”

He shakes his head. “Well, he should know better, love. Talking to any woman like that isn’t good form in the least. Much less the woman carrying his child.” His voice lowers slightly as he finishes his remark, the knit in his brow kind of adorably frustrated.

The train stops and there’s a change in the number of people in the car. It empties, mostly, so he rises and sits beside her, smiling a little.

“Killian Jones.”

Emma smiles softly and shakes the hand he extends. “Emma Swan.”

Killian smiles toothily, easily shifting from his previous upset about Neal. “Good to meet you, Swan.” He studies her face. “Do you know what happened to me this morning?”

His words make her narrow her eyes at him, tilting her head. “No. What?”

“I have a kitten at my apartment, named Smee, and I accidentally locked him into the bathroom with me while I was showering.”

Emma bursts into laughter and it encourages him to laugh with her. “Smee was less than amused when he joined me in the shower. He’s quite the follower.”

She laughs even more and he chuckles until he falls serious again.

“You know, I’ve been looking for a receptionist at my work. It’s not much, but… it gets full benefits and a couple of dollars above minimum wage.”

She stares at him, her jaw falling open and her eyes widening. “You don’t know me.”

He shakes his head. “You’re something of an open book,” he tells her, still smiling. “I know enough to know that you deserve a chance at something.”

Emma hesitates, shaking her head at him. “I don’t know what to say.”

Killian reaches into his pocket and removes a business card for her. “Come to this address Monday morning at eight and I’ll help you get settled in. And you can call me if you need anything at all in the meanwhile.”

She looks down at his business card and then up at him. “Are you sure about this? I’m just the crying girl you met on the subway, I mean-“

“You’re much more than that,” he tells her, giving his head a shake. He smiles at her. “You’re beautiful and smart and I believe you can do whatever it is you set your mind to.”

Emma can’t help but smile at his complements. “Thank you.”

The tenderness in his eyes is almost too much for _just_ meeting him. It’s enough to make her want to run, but she stays. Because he’s nice and funny and he gave her a chance. That’s much more than she can say about anyone else.

The train makes a stop and Killian glances up. “Oh. This is me.”

He rises to his feet fast and she feels panic filling her chest. She feels as if she hasn’t had nearly enough time with him.

“I’ll, uh,” Killian reaches up to scratch the back of his head and she rises to her feet abruptly.

“This is my stop too.” Emma lies.

He seems to see through it, narrowing his eyes ever so slightly, but a smile crawls across his face, and he heads to the door with her behind him.

And as they walk, her fingers _might_ graze against his, and she _might_ stare at him a few seconds longer than necessary when he’s walking along side her toward nowhere in particular.

And _maybe_ she’s eager, but when he asks her if she wants to get something to eat, she agrees, and soon enough she has made a friend in this city, a friend with dashing good looks and a patient old soul, easily angered by injustices of the world.

And maybe, she thinks as she’s kissing him before bed wearing his oversized tee shirt in his living room with a soft, warm kitten in her lap, there’s hope for her after all.


	2. Chapter 2

Working at Jones and Mills is interesting to say the least. 

As the receptionist, Emma works the phones and makes copies when Killian or his associates ask her to. She makes appointments and schedules a crap ton of meetings. Sometimes she thinks she should be paid more than she is, but she remembers that Killian Jones gave this job to her out of the goodness of his heart and she shouldn’t be ungrateful. 

Especially since he comes to her desk at least five times a day just to see her, outside of the times he comes for business needs. 

Their relationship is one that she’s always wished for deep down. He’s sweet and intelligent and he knows exactly what he wants. He doesn’t act as if she’s below him, like Regina Mills does, and even when she’s having a good day he always tries to find ways to make her smile. 

Outside of work, she and Killian are… taking it slow. She may have rushed into things that night at his apartment, kissing him because of hormones and being so _thankful_ for everything he’d done, on top of him being ridiculously gorgeous and attentive to her for an entire evening. 

He’s asked her on multiple dates and she’s accepted, but they haven’t gotten  further than a soft press of lips and a whispered goodnight at her apartment door. And even though she knows it’s because of the lines she drew for them, she can’t help but feel like he’s being ridiculous.

They’ve been doing this dance for three months now, and with the way she’s been feeling lately, it wouldn’t even be that difficult for him to score. But he’s a _gentleman_ and it’s kind of endearing, the way the tips of his ears turn pink at her suggestive language sometimes. 

Emma sits in her favorite booth at Granny’s. Killian sits across from her, a smirk on his lips as the entire diner listens to Granny and Ruby argue about Ruby’s behavior, keeping his eyes on his menu as if he doesn’t know what he’s going to order.

It’s always the same thing, lasagna and Coke, and she’s kind of impressed that he has a regular order here already. It makes it feel all the more like they’re in this relationship.

She nibbles at her lip and drops her hand to her baby bump, giving it a stroke when the child within her stirs.

The first time it happened, she and Killian had been sitting on the subway together, and she’d yanked his hand over while he was telling her something about the case they’d been working. His eyes had shone bluer than ever, filled with awe and wonder, and his mouth had fallen open, words stopping on the tip of his tongue. 

He’d kissed her then, the first time in such a public place, and she’d smiled, butterflies in her belly and warmth in her chest, burning her completely whole. 

“Is the wee one a flutter?” Killian asks, drawing her eyes away from her menu and to him. She can’t help but smile back at him. 

“Yes.” His grin spreads and she admires him for a moment thoughtfully. “Hey, do you want to come to the doctor’s appointment tomorrow? I’m going to find out the sex and I’m kind of excited.”

Killian opens his mouth as if he doesn’t know what to say and her heart sinks. It’s probably too soon. They’ve only been dating for about three months and even though he’s quite possibly the sweetest and kindest stranger turned relationship she’s ever had, all things regarding the baby have always been a little uncomfortable and unspoken.

“But you’re nearly seven months,” he tells her, furrowing his brow. “Shouldn’t you already know?”

The anxiety lifts from her chest and she shrugs, her cheeks filling with heat. It surprises her that he’s so _patient_ and thoughtful.

“I… I _wanted_ to wait until it was born, but I changed my mind, I guess.”

His eyes soften and he smiles, a small thing, and it looks as if he’s about to speak, but Ruby comes to the head of their table and huffs before flipping her notepad open. 

"What’ll it be, Ems?" 

She smiles softly. "Grilled cheese and onion rings. And a hot chocolate.”

Ruby nods and looks at Killian. “Let me guess. Lasagna and a Coke?”

Emma watches Killian as he hesitates, obviously caught in his pattern. He pulls on a grin. “Aye. But instead of a soda, perhaps a cocoa for me as well.”

Ruby laughs and nods, reaching in to grab their menus. “Coming right up.”

Emma takes a breath and stares at Killian as he glances over at the door when it chimes. He returns his attention to her and smiles. “I’d like very much to come with you tomorrow, love. What time is the appointment?”

“Three,” she tells him, quick to add, “And you don’t have any meetings then or anything, so unless someone calls tomorrow unexpectedly, I think you can swing a late lunch.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Darling,” Killian reaches across the table for her hand and takes it. “I’m the boss. I can take half a day if I want to.”

She gives him a look. “Well, I’m the receptionist, and I don’t think Regina would like it if I took half a day off.”

Killian shakes his head, releasing her hand with a slightly annoyed look on his face at the mention of his partner. “Regina can do with Mary Margaret on phones. That’s what we did for a few weeks after Kathryn left us for some high end fashion gig.”

Emma winces at the idea of unloading a few hours worth of work unexpectedly onto Mary Margaret, but she knows she’d be more than willing. She is, after all, Regina’s personal assistant and while it’s been her job for a long time, Mary Margaret often uses excuses to get away from the woman as often as she can. 

Mostly, Emma thinks, it’s to see the new intern David Nolan, but Mary Margaret hasn’t confirmed that idea yet. 

“Okay,” she says, an edge of reluctance in her tone. “But you know that when the kid comes I’m not going to be able to come in at all for like… two months, right?”

Killian nods. “Aye, I’m quite aware.”

She exhales. “Okay,”

When Killian comes to her apartment, she invites him inside and he accepts, a little blush on his cheeks because of her teasing. He hasn’t seen where she lives and she’s seen his place several times. It’s only fair. 

“It’s definitely not your apartment,” she tells him as she leads him inside. “But it does the job.”

She can tell he’s analyzing it, looking at everything in that way he does, quiet and without outward judgment. She guides him into the tiny kitchen and goes to grab a glass for water for herself, filling it at the sink while his eyes bounce around from wall to wall.

“So… this is… where you and-?”

Emma nods and sighs. “Yeah. He rented the place for a few months and I’m kind of still on shaky ground with the landlord, but I can stay for the rest of this month at least.” She smiles a little. “Thanks to you.”

He reaches up to scratch the back of his head and turns to look over at her living room. The bedroom door is open and he can probably see into it from where he’s standing.

The apartment is almost embarrassingly small in comparison of the loft apartment he’d invited her to stay a few times now.  

“It’s small,” he finally says, turning to her with no pity or disgust in his eyes at all. She hums into her glass and then sets it down on the counter. 

“Do you want any water?”

“No. Thank you, Swan. I’m fine.” Killian smiles a little at her and they’re quiet for a few beats.

“Want to watch a movie?”

He shrugs. “I suppose. What do you have?”

She feels embarrassed again as she leads him to her bedroom. The only television is propped up on a milk crate in front of her bed, and her bed is a mattress on the floor. 

Emma pulls out her collection of movies, a tragically small five DVDs, and shows them to Killian. 

“Quite the collection,” he teases, his eyebrows high and his smirk wild. 

She rolls her eyes. “These are movies I actually watch, okay. Just… pick one.”

He decides that _The Princess Bride_ is what they’ll watch. She sets it up and then goes to sit on her bed, propping her pillows up so they don’t have to press their backs to exposed brick. 

They sit close, mostly because that’s what her bed affords, and she leans her head onto his shoulder while one hand presses against her baby bump and her other hand traces lines onto Killian’s palm. 

She knows it’s only been three months, but she thinks she might love Killian Jones. She’s not about to tell him, though. It’s too soon and she’s pretty sure she’s dealing with overactive hormones, but… there’s something about how he makes her feel, all the time. 

It’s like a warm summer evening with him, with all of the windows down, driving through an open field as the stars begin to shine. And he’s given her so much _hope_ in these few months of knowing him.

Hope that she’s not all alone in this world. Hope that maybe one day she’ll get to have that happy family she’d dreamed about as a kid, lying in her bunk while she listened to her foster parents arguing.

“Emma,” Killian’s voice is soft and she opens her eyes to a dark room.

She pulls her head from his shoulder and narrows her eyes. "I fell asleep?“

He chuckles and nods. "That’s alright, Swan. I’ve been told I’m a good pillow.”

He winks at her and she rolls her eyes because she’s fallen asleep on his shoulder more than is probably normal for one person, most of those occurring on subway rides. Sometimes it happens in his living room while he sits up with his laptop and the television plays on low, Smee curled up in her lap like he always does, purring and content.

She reaches for her phone to check the time and winces. “Oh, Killian-”

“Swan, it’s fine,” He takes her hand and brings it to his lips. “I had a wonderful time tonight.”

Emma slumps her shoulders at him and puts her head on his shoulder again. 

He chuckles, deep and sweet. “What?" 

"Can you stay?”

He’s quiet for a few moments. “No, I’m afraid not. Mister Smee will be quite upset with me if I don’t feed him and give him at least five minutes of attention. You know how he is.”

Emma presses her chin to his shoulder and meets his eyes. “Fine.”

Killian kisses her temple when she moves back from him and squeezes her hand.

“I have a question for you before I go, though.”

“Okay.”

He looks around the tiny bedroom and then meets her eyes. “Where are you planning on keeping the baby?”

She opens her mouth, not having expected conversation to veer this direction, and feeling embarrassed all over again because of her income level. She hates that it always seems to come back to this, too. 

“God, Killian, why does my situation bother you so much?” She snaps. “I’m working, okay? I’m going to buy a crib. I just need some time.”

He gives her a weary look. “Emma, look at this place. This isn’t safe to raise a child.”

“I’m not going to _stay_ here,” she insists. “I’m going to move. I just-”

“Need some time?” Killian raises his eyebrows. Emma feels anger simmering under her skin and she drops her head to the side with frustration. “I can… help. You know I’ve got a spare bedroom and we could buy things-”

“Killian, I’m going to be fine." Emma says firmly, trying to keep relatively calm. Because this is the first time they’ve had an argument and she knows she should’ve seen it coming. He lives the high life in that big fancy apartment of his. He’s a _lawyer._

"Love, I just want to help. I hate seeing you living in the apartment he abandoned you both to.” Her brow crinkles and she shifts, feeling less angry. Killian is the one angry now, taking his hand through his hair. “Everyday I wonder if he’ll come back and seek to bring harm to you or the baby and I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve spent hours worrying over it. I just-”

He shakes his head and she swears she’s never going to find someone that makes her heart lift like it does seeing him so worried about her safety. 

“I can hold my own, Killian,” she tells him calmly. Emma presses her hand to his wrist and swipes her thumb in a gentle, soothing circle. “I’ve been on my own for a long time. I know how to take care of myself.” 

Killian looks at her with weariness, his shoulders falling. “Emma, I- what about when you’ve got a newborn and you’re up all night because of feedings and you’re too exhausted to function? Who will protect you then?”

She watches him as he seems to be coming to his own conclusion. 

“I don’t know,” she says softly. 

Killian searches her eyes and squeezes her hand. “I want to help you. I want to be there for you.”

She feels tears rising out of nowhere and she swallows, tilting her head. “I don’t want to put you out. We’ve only been dating for three months-”

“And I have never felt like this before after three months with anyone.” He tells her. He’s being honest, as he always is, and he’s being _too good_ to her. “I think about you constantly, Emma. You and the baby both. And I want to help. I want to be there for you and help when you need it and-”

Tears slip down her cheeks as she yanks him to her, cutting him off with a kiss more passionate than any they’ve had before. 

He groans a little and digs her hand into his hair, pulling at it gently. He somehow lowers her down onto her bed and props himself over her, still kissing her with a delirious passion. His tongue sweeps into her mouth and she sighs against him, a moan in her throat. 

When they part, it is with reluctance, and he presses his forehead to hers, their noses bumping. She strokes her hand through his hair. 

“I just didn’t want to agree to move in with you unless I knew you could kiss,” she teases breathlessly. 

He chuckles and presses a kiss to her lips, then to her jaw, peppering kisses toward her ear while she takes her hands through his hair. 

“I’ve only been holding back because I wasn’t sure you were ready.”

She closes her eyes when he nibbles at her flesh, his breath hot and his tongue absolutely sinful.

“I’m-” Killian finds a spot below her ear that makes her groan and she feels his smirk press against her skin. “I’ve been ready for a few months now.”

He hums, his teeth tugging at her earlobe before he shifts up, meeting her eyes. 

“So you’ll move in with me?” he asks, almost hesitantly. He’s like a little boy, with worried eyes and innocence in his tone, as if he hadn’t just kissed her like he did. 

Thinking about it now makes sense. She doesn’t love this apartment. It gives her nothing but bad memories, of Neal and when he told her he loved her, and she always has to go for takeout because the stove doesn’t work. 

“Yes,” she tells him. “But I’ll stay in the guest room with the baby. I don’t want us to rush into things.”

Killian’s smile spreads quickly, filling his cheeks, and he moves in to kiss her sweetly, as if promising her he’ll treat her well. 

"Tomorrow,” he tells her, “after the appointment, we can come get your things, if you’d like. We _are_ taking a half day.”

Emma bites at her lip and smiles in spite of herself. She’s _excited_. She’s excited that she’s going to be moving in with him. “Yeah.”

She takes one of her hands and skims it up his chest, moving to cup his cheek. He’s staring at her as if she’s hung the stars and she knows he could very well believe she did. 

“Wonderful. Okay. Brilliant.” He presses kisses to her lips and she can’t help but laugh when he leans back to admire her. 

He pulls himself up so he’s straddling her thighs a bit awkwardly, taking her up with him, and presses his big, warm hands over her belly. He smiles affectionately at it when the baby kicks and she smiles in return, watching him as he moves off of her, leans down and kisses her bellybutton through her shirt, his nose digging into her slightly. 

He grabs his phone and keys from the floor and pulls himself up off of the bed.  He stares at her as if he wants to tell her something, but he doesn’t, just smiles at her again. 

She forces herself up off of her bed so she can walk him to her front door and lock it.

He turns to face her as he stands outside, his hand pressed to the door frame and a devilish grin on his lips.

“I can come pick you up in the morning if you’d like.”

Emma presses her hand over her belly and smiles sheepishly. “Yeah. I would.”

They would probably look like a couple of fools if anyone else were watching them, staring at each other with giant grins on their faces.

“Very well,” Killian says warmly. “I’ll bring hot cocoa and a bear claw.”

“You know me so well,” she laughs.

He chuckles and then leans in to kiss her softly. “Good night, Emma. Sleep well.”

“Good night, Killian.”

In the morning, he picks her up and doesn’t disappoint, awarding her with a lingering series of kisses outside of his car and then a bear claw and a hot chocolate as they’re driving to the office. 

He tells her of their plans and she gives him the address for the doctor’s appointment, so that he can Google Maps it later and obsess over it for a few hours when he should be making headway in some of his cases.

And, somehow, it makes things better. Knowing she’s going to be living with him so he can help her with he baby, knowing he’s not Neal and he’s not going to leave, gives her a warm feeling in her chest. 

Killian comes to visit her a few times outside of his normal and he’s so obviously insanely excited about the day lying ahead of them that she wonders if it’s even conducive for him to be at work at all. 

Mary Margaret stops at her desk around two in the afternoon with a smile on her lips. “Mr. Jones told me I’ll be taking over for you now.”

“Oh. Really?”

Mary Margaret nods. She smiles wider. “You know, you’ve really brightened up the place.”

Emma gives her a wary look. “I’m not sure about that, Mary Margaret." 

She stands and starts to collect her things to go when she sees Killian shifting around in his office. 

"Before you,” Mary Margaret explains, “he wasn’t exactly the happiest man alive. He was kind of miserable, actually. But, it’s so nice to see that he’s happier now with you.”

Killian comes out of his office with his bag around his shoulder. He grins at them as he approaches. “Good afternoon, ladies.”

Mary Margaret smiles. “Good afternoon. Where are you two going, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“We have a doctor’s appointment,” Emma says, and it just rolls off of the tongue. _We_. They’re a _we_ now. 

Killian doesn’t seem to mind. He just nods and goes to her side when she steps away from her desk. “You ready to go, love?”

“Yeah,”

When they get to the doctor’s office, they’re early, but Killian Jones is never late for _anything_ , so she isn’t too upset to end up flipping through magazines in the waiting room while he reads over something on his phone. 

She’s called back and the nurse looks at Killian a little curiously as they start for the room. “Oh, are you Dad?”

It’s something they’ve never talked about. They _just_ decided to move in together. They _just_ started dating, for crying out loud, but Emma takes his hand and smiles a little at the woman. 

“In all the ways that count.”

The nurse smiles warmly, giving her a small nod of approval.

Her doctor comes in and she’s told the baby is healthy and there’s some light, happy conversation, mostly because Killian is here, and he’s holding her hand and he’s _here_. 

She looks over at him happily when they hear the heartbeat and his eyes widen, his jaw falling open. 

“That’s- the heartbeat,” he says. 

The technician nods and hums. “Yep. It is.”

He laughs breathily, squeezing her hand. She sees tears in his eyes, and not for the first time, she gets butterflies because three months ago, she had no one standing beside her at these appointments. Three months ago she was going to have to decide between giving the baby up or having to figure out what raising it on her own would do to her. 

It gets worse when they look at the image of the baby. It’s the first time she’s allowed herself a look at the black and white image, the stirring little being that’s kept her up nights and that’s made the bathroom her second home.

Her heart warms to see Killian just as in awe as she is, just as _in love_ as she is.

He leans down and kisses her forehead, obviously not able to help himself, and she smiles at him. 

“Oh, and it looks like we can definitely tell what the sex is. The baby isn’t hiding from us today.” The woman grins after telling them that things are definitely developing well.

Emma’s heart stutters. “What is it?”

“It’s a boy.”

“A boy,” Emma repeats, a smile filling her cheeks. She’d had inklings, of course, and Killian had teased her a few times about the possibility of it being a little boy. But- _a boy_. She’s having _a boy_.

She looks to Killian and he brings their hands up to his lips to kiss the back of hers. He doesn’t seem to have words, but he’s smiling, and she knows then that she’s made a good choice. 

They walk out of the office with two print outs of the ultrasound, of their _boy_ , and Killian almost immediately kisses her as soon as they’re in his car. 

She smiles against his lips and when they part, she cups his cheek, searching the blue of his eyes. “Hey, is everything okay? You’ve been quiet since the appointment started.”

He stares at her with seriousness in his gaze. “Swan, thank you.”

“For what?” Emma furrows her brow and drops her hand.

He shakes his head. “For letting me into your life. For _this_.” He looks at the black and white image in his hand and shakes his head again.

“I like you, you know,” Emma tells him, smiling wryly. It doesn’t change the expression on his face as she hoped it would, though. “You shouldn’t be thanking me. If anything, I should be thanking you. You gave me a job and you’re always trying to give me things I don’t deserve.”

“Swan, you deserve the world,” Killian shifts in his seat and sets the image of her son down on his lap. “You and I are more alike than you think. We haven’t talked much about my past but… I’ve lost everyone I care about a long time ago and it made me a miserable man.” She studies him and his honesty, her breaths coming short as tears rise. “When I saw that in you that night on the subway, I thought I could give you the same kind of chance Regina gave me by offering me partner after all the terrible things I’d done.”

Emma’s heart squeezes and she drops her hand to her belly. “Killian-“

“If this changes things,” Killian says, crumpling his face in a half smile. “I- I don’t- it was selfish of me, wasn’t it? Asking you to come work for me so I could have the benefit of feeling as if I did something good.”

She reaches for his hand and tangles her fingers with his. “It doesn’t change things. You wanted to help me and you still want the best for me.” She studies him. “That was something Neal never wanted. He was selfish. You’re not.”

He softens. “He’s a bloody fool for ever leaving you and the wee lad.”

She has to smile at his words, the reminder that she’ll get to put little blue onesies on a boy soon. The idea gives her thoughts of Killian wanting to paint the bedroom blue and probably buy out every baby store possible in order to prepare for him. 

She can only imagine what Killian will look like, hair mussed and eyes weary after a night of being woken up constantly, but still more than willing to change a diaper for her. Or being there when he starts talking and crawling and walking, holding his arms out and smiling as if the little boy has performed a miracle. 

She can only imagine what he’ll look like asleep with a baby on his chest, his hand pressed to the tiny back of the boy protectively, his other arm draped across his forehead on a lazy weekend afternoon. But soon it will be her reality and she almost can’t breathe because of it.

“You’re a good man, Killian. And you’re going to be a great father.”

Killian smiles at her with disbelief and she cups his cheek before she kisses him, their foreheads touching gently afterward.

“Let’s go get my stuff so I can move in.”

“Okay,”


End file.
